NYPD Officer Arrested in an International Gun Running Ring

In a crime likely to be a pie in the face for the city police department, an NYPD officer has been arrested as part of an international gun-smuggling ring. Officer Rex Maralit and his brothers Wilfredo and Ariel have been charged in a conspiracy to ship high-powered rifles from the U.S. to the Phillipines. The criminal complaint alleges Rex and Wilfredo, a customs officer at Los Angeles International Airport, used their law enforcement credentials to gain access to weapons, some of which are illegal for civilian use.

Officer Maralit was taken into custody by the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau, which partnered with the Department of Homeland Security in the case. Ariel is still at large in the Phillippines.

Rex and Wilfredo bought and dismantled the weapons stateside, then shipped them illegally to Alfredo in the Phillippines, where they were sold. The guns spanned a laundry list of high-powered weapons, including assault rifles and sniper rifles. The scheme ran between January 2009 and March 2013.

The brothers are charged with conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act, legislation intended to stem the flow of weapons to international terrorist organizations and prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. They each face up to five years in prison and fines up to $250,000.